Forty-five years to the day after Congress passed the Equal Rights Amendment, Nevada became the first state in 40 years to approve the provision that would enshrine women’s rights in the U.S. Constitution.

Today, we stand up and walk together through our state Legislature–united in hope, united in strength, and united in the wisdom that human rights for all is the only path for a civilized society, the only road possible for an acceptable present and future.

CARSON CITY — Mention the Equal Rights Amendment today and it might bring back memories of the 1970s, from huge protest marches to ”ERA Yes” buttons. But the proposed constitutional amendment, which fell three states short of the 38 needed to win ratification by a 1979 deadline that Congress later extended to 1982, is not a relic in Nevada. An effort is underway to get the amendment ratified by the Nevada Legislature in 2015.